New Jersey Police Officer Fatally Shot, Another Wounded in Incident Involving 14-Year-Old Suspect, Authorities Report

NEWARK, N.J.—A 14-year-old fatally shot a police officer and injured another on Friday evening in New Jersey, as described by witnesses who reported seeing officers rush down a busy street, followed by the sound of numerous gunshots.

The officer who lost his life, 26-year-old Joseph Azcona, was part of a unit of Newark police detectives and federal agents tasked with apprehending a suspect in an illegal weapons operation when he was attacked in his vehicle, officials stated.

“He didn’t even have time to exit his vehicle before being struck,” Newark’s director of public safety, Emanuel Miranda, mentioned at a news conference on Saturday morning alongside the mayor and chief prosecutor.

Miranda hailed Azcona as a “true hero.”

The other officer who was shot sustained injuries that are expected to be non-life-threatening, according to authorities. Newark Mayor Ras Baraka labeled the incident a “heinous, callous disregard for humanity” and noted that officers approached the scene aware of the potential for “grave danger.”

Police have detained five individuals, including the 14-year-old who faces charges of murder, attempted murder, and illegal weapon possession, stated Essex County Prosecutor Theodore N. Stevens II during the news conference.

The 14-year-old was also shot and sustained injuries deemed non-life-threatening, according to Stevens.

Stevens withheld the identities of both the boy and the other four individuals in custody, who are currently being questioned by investigators. He and Miranda provided limited information regarding the circumstances that led to the assault on Azcona, the police response, or the subsequent gunfire.

One firearm was recovered, and both the weapon and those carried by the officers are being analyzed to ascertain which ones were fired and the total number of shots discharged.

Azcona, who had five years of service on the Newark police force, was promoted to detective two years prior and was part of the elite intelligence unit described as the “best of the best,” according to Miranda.

The shooting occurred around 6:37 p.m. in the vicinity of Broadway and Carteret after the team of detectives and federal agents responded to reports of illegal firearms activity, authorities noted. Witnesses recounted hearing a barrage of gunfire after spotting officers rushing down a commercial area situated between a McDonald’s and a White Castle close to the Passaic River.

Witness Randy Mejia recounted to WCBS-TV that prior to the gunfire, he observed officers sprinting.

“It sounded like a car crash followed by a series of loud bangs,” Mejia said.

The injured officers were transported to University Hospital in Newark, where Azcona was declared dead around 2:30 a.m., reported Stevens. Azcona’s family—his mother, father, and brother—were present at the hospital to grieve together after the incident, as stated by Miranda.

Police refrained from disclosing the name of the wounded officer.

Baraka conveyed his frustration over society’s failure to prevent a 14-year-old from possessing a firearm and shooting at law enforcement.

“We must improve our efforts. I must do better. Our families must do better. Our community must do better to ensure our children are not handling guns on the streets and shooting at police officers,” Baraka stated. “This is not merely a police issue. This is our issue. This is a collective problem.”